Pierce writes: "He grins. He kids people, even the people who faint at the beginning of his speeches. ('Always have something to eat before going to see the president,' he said.) He is relaxed about the job of politics. He is the only president of the United States - real or prospective - that I've seen in months."

President Barack Obama is taking his cues from the shrill primary campaigning of the GOP. (photo: Jewel Samad/Getty)

Obama Is President Again

By Charles P. Pierce, Esquire

03 March 12

his was a tough room if you showed up to talk energy policy, which the president did in a snowstorm on Thursday afternoon. The Nashua Community College gym was packed early with people who were so overdressed for the footlights that one of them keeled over in the middle of the crowd just as the president was beginning to speak. Once he got started, you could close your eyes and predict what was going to happen during his speech. Any mention of natural gas, and somebody would yell, "No fracking!" Wild applause ensued every time Wall Street oil speculators took a hiding. Uncontrolled joy broke out any time the president took a whack at Congress for doing nothing, or simply for not doing what he wanted.

After several months of watching the Republican primary process, I can't tell you what a cool breeze it was to watch a politician who looks at a crowd and doesn't see a group of potential marks (Romney), a collection of your fellow Elect marching with you through the dystopic Sinai that is America (Santorum), a gaggle of goldbugs (Paul), or the class of half-bright sophomores that N. Leroy Gingrich sees every time he looks anywhere but into the mirror. Barack Obama is not stiff. He is not bristling with unbridled id. He grins. He kids people, even the people who faint at the beginning of his speeches. ("Always have something to eat before going to see the president," he said.) He is relaxed about the job of politics. He is the only president of the United States - real or prospective - that I've seen in months.

If that is the way Obama's going to run, somebody's giving him good advice again. He talks about the challenges Americans face, but he doesn't do it in the gloom-ridden, stalactite-festooned, minor-key funeral mass context that the Republicans talk about them. He talks in terms of "boundless ingenuity" and "unbridled optimism." This is the way Ronald Reagan spoke on the stump in 1980. Sure, Jimmy Carter sent the country to hell in an handbasket but, by god, the work of climbing out of the handbasket was going to be fun. For all the Reagan cargo-cultism of the Republican party, this is the part of the old goober's charm than none of the Republican candidate have yet mastered. It's become an instinct in the president now.

It was striking to compare how the president talked to the students here with the now-famous Rick Santorum dickery about how he is a "snob" for wanting as many people as possible to go to college. The president talked to these students at an out-of-the-way community college as though they're all going to waltz right out of here and into the Apollo program. "I see the young people here - and the ones that are young at heart," he said. "We need you to study hard, and to work hard, and to summon up that unbridled optimism that led previous generations to overcome the challenges of their time."

On energy policy, he walked a very fine line. He talked about how the country's dependence on foreign oil had dropped since he became president, even passing out a chart - "we'll be using visual aids today" - to that effect. He talked about all the wells that have been drilled and all the pipelines that have been built and all the permits for drilling and pipelines that his administration is planning to hand out, which nearly lost him the crowd. He got it back by talking about the regulations he's put in place "to make sure we don't have a spill like we had in the Gulf a while back." He made no mention of the Keystone XL pipeline, except to point out that he'd given permission to open a pipeline in Oklahoma that may one day be part of the larger project. The "all of the above" strategy is going to be truly that, which means it's not going to make everybody happy.

But what truly got them on their feet was a thwacking attack on the $4 billion in subsidies that the federal government gives to the oil companies every year. "Those companies are making record profits right now," he said. "Anyone here think Congress should still give them $4 billion a year? That's outrageous. It's inexcusable. I want them to vote on those in the next couple of weeks. Let your member of Congress know where you stand, New Hampshire. I know where I stand.

"It's not going to be a long, smooth road. Some companies will fail. [Low bridge there for Solyndra.] Some experiments won't work all the time. But as long as I'm president, I am not going to walk away from clean energy. I won't see the markets for solar, wind, and battery technologies go to China because some politicians don't want to take the chance on them. With or without this Congress, I'm going to do everything I can. They've got their business. I've got you."

Except for, occasionally, Ron Paul, none of the Republicans talk like this. Oh, they talk about common purpose and common sacrifice, but they don't seem to have any goal for all the effort except to replace the president with one of them. This was a speech, a run-of-the-mill campaign stop, that was impervious to the kind of sidetracking and bombast that has made such an unpleasant circus act out of the doings on the other side. It was a centrist speech, to be sure, but one hung thick with banners and ribbons and summer band concert music. Elsewhere, of course, the funeral march moves on toward Ohio and Super Tuesday.

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Liberals love rhetoric, social rhetoric for the stupid and dumb, while class elites, march towards fascist totalitarianism.

Class liberalism was born in the betrayal mechanism of class deformed hierarchies and its Patriarchal class mechanism when it accommodated existing class hierarchies into the industrial revolution to deform the social agenda, social principles of the Enlightenment.

Social Patriotism used against Feudal class history came up with a theory of inivisible, independent social classes, middle layer who would produce socialwealth and universal human rights.Viable middle layers cannot be uncorrupted so long as class hierarchies are allowed to produce class deformed langauge, falsely claiming social, moral centers, like Liberal class ideologies, as all class ideologies have degenerated towards class empire, class tyrany and endless class compromises shifting into totalitarianism and Fascism.

When Social Patriotism gave way to class hierarchies, class regimes and class ideologies, BETRAYAL became the norm through corruption, inversion , substitution of social principles for totalitarian class policies.

Obama like Bush is a War criminal, enabler of Fascism and Wars who signed off on a police state, police laws, and Fascist Foreign policies with NATO and Israel. Such BETRAYAS do not make him a PRESIDENT, but a totalitarian thug.

What a collection of inaccurate history (I think that's what this is). It's not even possible to sort it out to answer it.You, too, should figure out what's prompting your anger and do something except yell screwy stuff on these sites.

Global citizen is right - bit abstract - but all politician are using same propaganda."Obama like Bush is a War criminal, enabler of Fascism and Wars who signed off on a police state, police laws, and Fascist Foreign policies with NATO and Israel. Such BETRAYAS do not make him a PRESIDENT, but a totalitarian thug."history writer - try it it out to answer it - police state, police laws, Foreign policies with NATO and Israel ....

Activista: I agree. Perhaps, the lack of anger as you cite the same facts, more briefly makes your comment easier to readbut you still get the Thumbs Down for saying anything negative about Obama. Not from me. You just went from 7- to 6-.Lot of closed mindedness on the Post. Why do you think? I assumed that Liberal Progressives would be more open minded.

I'm thinking about it. Seems like things need to get even worse before people wake the hell up...so I might just help them...you compliant democrat-no-matter-what. When exactly do we hold our politicians accountable? It is not 'Wah'...it is the drums of war that you are hearing.

Globalcitizen:Your choice of user-name is revealing, but confusing. By saying you are a citizen of the globe are you claiming citizenship in places like Israel, fascist countries of every degree, totalitarian countries, social democratic counties, kingdoms, et al? Your passport must be a tome!Please clear this up for me.

I heard this speech too. Wow, was it nice to listen to someone who wasn't snarling and actually made sense and has our backs instead of sticking a knife into it. It is refreshing, to say the least, to see someone stand up for women. We have enough to contend with without the republi/baggers trying to take away the tools we need. Go Obama!! We have your back.

Babs is back with her Obama cheer leading...what a bunch of crap...have you had your head in the sand for 3.5 years...we might have to vote for him...but I will give him hell for his crappy Republican pro-business government...the guy has no guts and a very conventional wisdom brain.

He's good at this. He's the smartest, most rational and reasonable guy we have had in the Oval Office in a long time. People like him and trust him. He's proven his self in office. The right wing freaks are a scant few in the great scheme of things and they have far overplayed their hand with their racism and misogyny.

So why does he continue to have the Bushites in his DC Cabinet? why does he pretend he wants to get rid of oil and then go for Canada digging graves in Oklahoma to come in back door on Tar Sands, why more Nukes? Why more oIl in the National Parks, Alaska?

Kitta, I would like to see Obama do better, and I think he can, but we need to give him a congress he can work with, and do everything we can to tell him what we think he should do. But you say "...why more Nukes?" We need to make sure that he understands that we must stop burning coal as a first step toward bringing climate change under control. In order to do that we need to start building Generation Four Nuclear Reactors as soon as possible. Fear of Nuclear Power is only driven by lack of correct and complete information. The newest reactor designs, both Generation Three and Generation Four, are extremely safe. The Generation Four, fast neutron or breeder reactor, is not only safe, it can use present stockpiles of Nuclear "Waste" as fuel at 98% efficiency, and these stockpiles will give us energy for a thousand years. Generation Four reactors can produce more fuel than they use by converting non-fissile Uranium and Thorium into fuel grade material. They solve the "Waste" storage problem. They give us immediate base-load ready power, and should be built anywhere there is a coal plant operating and especially anywhere a new coal plant is planned - in the US and in China and India. Pollution from coal is a global problem, and the US needs to lead the way to eliminating its use.

To understand the Climate Change situation better, read "Storms of My Grandchildren" by Dr James Hansen, eminent climate scientist with NASA. He also explains the Gen 4 reactors.

He had a congress for 2 years and what did he do with it...crap...pro business crap...no help for underwater home owners to speak of...big bucks for bankers with no controls on how they bonus themselves or fire people. To me he is an abject failure...I'm so disappointed!

The overriding qualification that I read or hear for the future republican nominee is HIS ability to beat President Obama. Not anything else.The might not have any other qualifications that mean anything.Plenty of ultra right tanks (didn't call them "think")ready to pull the puppets strings.

I was ostracized by previously close friends and associates at my former job for voting Democrat and voting for Obama. And here in Southwest Florida I am amazed at the hatred so many have for him. When I ask why, it all boils down to what's really on their minds--racism. All educated people, successful, seemingly well adjusted--yet vicious, focused racists. It is as if so many missed 1950-present entirely and still hunger for the days of Jim Crow.

Hey Fredby, esquire! Always enjoy your reflective comments. I think the GOP candidates went too far with their misogyny, except for Romney who skirted around the subject. Hopefully, Santorum will disappear soon. He is not a well person. I'm sure you are correct about racism you met with in FLA. would you please share some details as I have not encountered "vicious focused racists." I am not happy with Obama because he signed the NDAA and I think he's stalling until after the election in regard to the XL pipeline. What do you think? Are you not disappointed in him?

I'm not disappointed at all. In fact lately I'm impressed. But then I didn't expect much. I knew Obama wasn't ready for prime-time. I still wish he had stayed in the Senate. I think Hillary would have done a much better job dealing with Republicans in Congress. However, Obama's learning curve has been steep, and if we can give him back a Democratic majority in the House and a stronger majority in the Senate, we will see great things in the second term Republicans seem bound to give him. I think fredboy is right. The vitriolic hatred of all things Obama by some people is pure racism.It's all about Congress in 2012!

I've recently been thrilled to see the return of the man I voted for. Sure there's lots left to do, though I don't think we can, for a moment, forget how much has been accomplished over the last three years...As for the republicans, I'm sorry for the debates to be over. They have been good for Obama's campaign.

No president since Roosevelt has assumed the helm with such insurmountable odds for success. And the naysayers still whine about what Obama has accomplished in 3 1/2 years. The day he took office, I knew in my heart that anything he did would come under a clamor of complaints. The task is arduous. I don't think Jesus could have righted the ship as badly as it had been broached. Obama and electing a democratic congress will get things back to normal.

jlohman: They ALL learn on the job. Look at every single one of the 2 term presidents in your lifetime (and before). Conversely, who among the President's challengers isn't going to have a LONG way to go to learn how to be a successful president?

If he can project a nice, decent, pleasant, competent, caring guy, he can offset $5Billion in SuperPac mud slinging. Very cool. The short term treatment for Citizens United is to make them WASTE their precious $$, like that nutcase funding the Grinch. However, since the aptly named slick Willie Democrats caused the Crash by repealing Glass-Steagall, one of the 5 worst political acts since WWII, they have a moral obligation to clean up their mess, which happily occurred on W's watch. That means PRISON TIME for the Wall St. & subprime BIG Bankers that Dems have been coddling, protecting, enabling, assuming that we're too stupid to notice. Today's mafiosi Al Capones are wined & dined in OUR White House. Dems need to FORCE Obama to sic Holder on them, not kiss their criminal butts. No amount of smiling will substitute.

He is The Ultimate Liar. Far more intelligent, poised, and well spoken than his challengers. A Truly Great Salesman. But a Truly 'Jive Cat'. This a liar that makes you feel good, as you are conned.. But Guess what? It doesn't matter, in the sense that The Big Money...is 'running' ALL these guys! (maybe not Paul) OK. It is more difficult to 'run' an Idiot (all of the Repubs), than a Bright Family Man ( Hey, Obama! nice wife and kids.....Um, don't change too much.. of what WE can believe in. Understand?) In case an Idiot should prevail, this is what Strong Vice Presidents are for (does any Cheney come to mind?). The Monied Agenda will not change, no matter your R-or-D choice. Why vote, unless an 'Independent' miraculously appears?

I fully expect Obama to win, as the choice of the 1%, but I'd like to see anough people vote for other than the fascist duopoly that it is obvious there is no 'mandate' but a weak plurality, and the the majority of voters want 'none of the above', meaning neither major party.

Of course, the election is just meaningless theater now anyway and the only real change can come from the people on the street, rebuilt unions who really represent the workers, and citizens "consumers' who resit supporting the corporations and 1% with the dollars -- especially by paying for the propaganda machines called TV.

Obama is a murderous lying coproparasite (not a misspelling) licking thug. He is dangerous and power hungry. He has the power to kill or imprison forever anyone he wants, for any reason at all. After a long hard slog, he is dictator-in-chief.And "liberals" are worried that he'll lose? What about the rest of us? We've already lost... our constitution, our democracy, and the half dozen or so wars that we're either in the middle of, or that he intends to start as murderer-in-chief.

Obama didn't mention that he's stepped up auditing small businesses to the tune of 12% or more as small businesses are struggling to survive and have to always pay the alternative minimum tax that obliterates deductions as the top 1% are getting gigantic tax cuts, as hedge fund managers are paying no taxes along with many other corporations! He didn't Veto the part of the NDAA that takes away our right to due process and will also attack people's right to peaceful protest. But we will vote for him because I hate the GOP wack jobs even more. But as I emailed him We hate being put in the position of voting for a rock and a hard place.

I hope the American people vote out our current sell out congress and senate and replace as many as possible with a strong Independent Porgressive majority.

Obama also didn't mention that demand for oil has gone down and there is a surplus even though prices at the pump and prices for heating oil are going up as oil companies are exporting and making big profits as they gauge us here.Clinton threatened to release the reserves but smooth talker Obama does want to go there.

Obama also didn't mention that demand for oil has gone down and there is a surplus even though prices at the pump and prices for heating oil are going up as oil companies are exporting and making big profits as they gauge us here.Clinton threatened to release the reserves but smooth talker Obama does want to go there.

As long as Iran and Israel are on the verge of war, the reserves must be kept full. If Iran and Israel start a real war we will need every drop of oil in the reserves.

That nice, smiling, clever man, John Kennedy, committed us to slaughter in Vietnam, not the T-Party. That nice, smiling, clever man, Bill Clinton, repealed Glass-Steagall, opening the Wall St. floodgates. It wasn't the T-Party. The nice, smiling, clever Barack Obama made a deal with that nice Olympia Snowe to cut the Stimulus in half, one of the worst decisions since WWII. That wasn't the T-Party, Boehner, McConnell, Romney, or Santorum.Time to wake up & admit what we have let happen. Never again.

That nice, smiling, clever man, John Kennedy, committed us to slaughter in Vietnam, not the T-Party. That nice, smiling, clever man, Bill Clinton, repealed Glass-Steagall, opening the Wall St. floodgates. It wasn't the T-Party. The nice, smiling, clever Barack Obama made a deal with that nice Olympia Snowe to cut the Stimulus in half, one of the worst decisions since WWII. That wasn't the T-Party, Boehner, McConnell, Romney, or Santorum.Time to wake up & admit what we have let happen. Never again.

Very smooth how you skipped over the Repub Presidents. I assume you were in such a rush to get to this site that they slipped your one-track mind, let us know how you missed them.

That nice, smiling, clever man, John Kennedy, committed us to slaughter in Vietnam, not the T-Party. That nice, smiling, clever man, Bill Clinton, repealed Glass-Steagall, opening the Wall St. floodgates. It wasn't the T-Party. The nice, smiling, clever Barack Obama made a deal with that nice Olympia Snowe to cut the Stimulus in half, one of the worst decisions since WWII. That wasn't the T-Party, Boehner, McConnell, Romney, or Santorum.Time to wake up & admit what we have let happen. Never again.

Kennedy was murdered by his own C.I.A. and hawks for wanting to GET OUT of Vietnam, Cambodia and in fact S.E. Asia; it was LBJ who escalated the war after JFK's assassination. (quote) "I'm not going to be the one who gave S.E. Asia to the communists" or words to that general effect. But even then I would try and drop the "Democrats only" stance. Your four Republican heroes, especially Bohener, and "bitch" McConnell and the Tea-Lonneys have worked at discrediting and blocking everything Ob' tried to do without having any ideas of their own. And don't even get me started on Dimwits Bush, Daddy same and ditto Reagan. Take the blinkers off.That's all from me 'nuff said.

Dead wrong. I really don't have the energy to refute your comments, but let it suffice to say that Kennedy did NOT committ us to slaughter in Vietnman. Read you're freaking history before making outrageous statements.

I like Obama, I think he is the only sane choice for President. We need to work hard to make sure he is reelected, and work equally hard to give him a reasonable congress to work with.

I am not sure he fully gets the threat of Global Warming. If he does, he is playing the middle to get re-elected, and that is a political decision I am not sure is correct, but I understand the idea.

I would like some indication that he understands we must stop burning coal as a first step toward bringing climate change under control. In order to do that we need to start building Generation Four Nuclear Reactors as soon as possible. The fear of Nuclear Power is driven by lack of information. The newest reactor designs, both Generation Three and Generation Four, are extremely safe. The Generation Four, fast neutron or breeder reactor, is not only safe, it can use present stockpiles of Nuclear "Waste" as fuel at 98% efficiency, and these stockpiles will give us energy for a thousand years. Generation Four reactors can produce more fuel than they use by converting non-fissile Uranium and Thorium into fuel grade material. They solve the "Waste" storage problem. They give us immediate base-load ready power, and should be built anywhere there is a coal plant operating and especially anywhere a new coal plant is planned, in the US and in China and India. Pollution from coal is a global problem, and the US needs to lead the way to eliminating its use.

It would be very nice if a significant portion of the Federal government had an agenda other than "NOT what the President wants". That is not their job. That is grotesque neglect of the nation's business, and it ought to be grounds for removal from office as soon as possible.

By the way, Jimmy Carter did not sen the country to hell in a handbasket. He was honest about speaking his mind when he saw that the country was going to hell in a handbasket and he challenged both government and the citizens of the United States to straighten things out. For his troubles he was replaced in office by the first in a growing series of people who believe the solution to this country's problems is to disbelieve n hell and handbaskets.

It would be very nice if a significant portion of the Federal government had an agenda other than "NOT what the President wants". That is not their job. That is grotesque neglect of the nation's business, and it ought to be grounds for removal from office as soon as possible.

By the way, Jimmy Carter did not sen the country to hell in a handbasket. He was honest about speaking his mind when he saw that the country was going to hell in a handbasket and he challenged both government and the citizens of the United States to straighten things out. For his troubles he was replaced in office by the first in a growing series of people who believe the solution to this country's problems is to disbelieve n hell and handbaskets.

Completely agree. People here need to start thinking for themselves; esp with regard to politicans like Jimmy Carter who was sandbagged by the Reagan people over hostages in Iran. A deal was cut to release the hostages on the very day that Reagan was inaugerated, coincidence?Not. Carter was up to speed all those years ago on climate change, green technology, international relations; however, the American people don't like bad news. So they voted for an actor who used to headling General Electric's Sunday show. Pleasant fellow though.

Agree - in retrospect - Carter has a principled (not to support dictators)- was smart (look at his approach for energy saving), was solving FAIRLY Middle East issues.Way ahead for his time in complexity issues.Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Baby Bush, Obama were propaganda/demagogues pinatas.

OK on the part about Carter, but stick Obama in with the rest of that bunch of goofballs and you loose me. Obama is far better than any of them, and hopefully his second term will come with a congress that isn't totally focused on making him look bad. Bunch of creeps. Boehner needs to be defeated if not impeached. He is useless.

Dorian, You are WRONG. A very conservative republican said that Carter was the FIRST and ONLY president who tried to set an energy policy. Carter could see what eventually was coming and tried to DO something about it.

Also a lot of homes became self sustaining, because he gave people help to install solar panels. You may remember he installed them on the White House too. Then stupid Regan had them removed.Carter was mortally wounded by the hostage crisis, which was NOT his fault.And Reagan, that snake made a deal with the Iranians to keep the prisoners till he was elected. Disgusting.

Carter is also the finest past president, doing so many good deeds, NOT FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. I know why YOU don't like him:

He mentions the many bad deeds Israel commits. Dave M and Firefox correctly said, that Americans do not want to hear unpleasant truths. Neither do you.

It is not antisemitic to point out that Israel has committed many terrible wrongs, MANY Israelis say so too.

How soon the American people forget.Do you all remember the hell we went through in eight years of Bush? Bush ruined this country with his right-wing crap. The tea party idiots took over the House and destroyed any hope of compromise or solutions to our problems. Obama is still trying to pick up the pieces. I blame most of our problems we face now on the Republicans who gave us this mess in the first place!

I liked this column. I am glad that Obama is seen as presidential again.

I have not liked everything in Obama's administration. But anytime I am tempted to vote anything bur Democratic, I think back upon the myriad of pernicious, destructive 5-4 votes of the Supreme Court over the past years, including putting George W Bush in office.

Only a Democratic President can change that. Please get Hillary Clinton as your VP candidate and win another term. Only a Democratic President can change the 5-4 balance of the SC. Vote Obama.

Re Glass Steigal being repealed, remember President Clinton was dealing with a Republican Congress who wanted to impeach him over private behavior, led by former Speaker of the House and current Republican Presidental candidate Newt Gingrich, subsequently "retired" by his own party for ethical violations.

As for President Kennedy, he was lied to by the Defense Department, or whoever runs this country, about the fate of former democratically elected President of South Vietnam (Diem); they wanted to initiate Vietnam for their own reasons. Kennedy was in the process of withdrawying troops one month before his assassination.

Please read "Overthrow" by Stephen Kinzer for a history of U.S. intervention in the foreign affairs of other countries with democratically elected governments who seek to protect their natural resources from the business interests of the rich who live here.

Peirce is throwing soft balls, slow pitch to a pol who plays hard ball like one of the Cubs. Obama deserves better than that; he's a tough guy. Like when he cut food stamps to the elderly and and kids, we eat too much I guess.He came up pure Chicago, a smooth player, no pictures of him with the hand on the bag. Very smart but unequipped to deal with international class crooks who order him about. Too bad the press is not equipped to strip away the spectacle and deal with the man and his actions.

So Obama is once again channelling Ronald Reagan and Democrats are a bit relieved that we may not, after all, have to suffer through four years the misogynistic Santorum or the icy Mitt Romney. OK, I'm a bit relieved too. But, and this is a huge BUT, what about the planet? We cannot have fracking-god only knows how that drilling will affect fault lines across the country, not to mention the air and water pollution. We cannot build three more nuclear power plants when we have no real plan for disposing of the waste. We cannot allow the destruction of unions which Scott Walker began, and Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie and other governors are engineering. Obama is showing little to no inclination to take substantial action on these threats to our public good. We cannot allow drones to kill innocent people around the world and watch their fellow citizens develop an abiding hatred for us. We must develop the will to change the course of this country. Now. Third party candidates.

While I agree with many of your points, you make one all too common mistake - through ignorance of new technology. Generation Four Nuclear Reactors are not only extremely safe, they can use the huge stockpiles of Nuclear "Waste" as fuel. They convert that material to energy at 98% efficiency. That means leaving only tiny amounts of unusable material with a much shorter half-life. The storage or disposal problem is solved - and we have enough of this material to give us energy for a thousand years.

Building these reactors needs to be a major national priority, along with the new Algae project Obama is supporting. (See Jouleunlimited.com)

Also, read "Storms of My Grandchildren" by Dr James E Hansen, eminent climate Scientist with NASA. He clearly explains the causes and dangers of Climate Change and includes much information about what we need to do to reduce the severity of the coming problems.

I might also add, when you refer to Santorum as "misogynistic" you are committing the understatement of the century. He is a leader of the American Taliban. He is a maniacal promoter of religious totalitarianism. He uses religion as a bludgeon to force others to follow and swallow his opinions. He is about as "Christian" as a rabid hyena. (Have I made myself clear?) To say he fails to understand the necessity for separation of Church and State is another true but major understatement. I fear he would be a worse disaster than W ever was.

Holyone. It's really nice to hear the comparison made between Progressive and Regressive. It's very clear which direction each party is taking. The only choices seem to be 1950 or 2050. Now we have the whole story in a nutshell.

Far too one sided, seeu. Try again, but include the grotesque initiative killing policy of the Repuglicants in Congress. Obama made some serious mistakes trying to accommodate and negotiate with Rethugs who had no intention of meeting him halfway. They were, and are, completely willing to wreck the USA to keep and gain more power. They do not care about the poor or the middle class. They care about greed and money - easily seen by their unrelenting support for the Insurance Industry Scam. The US is the only developed country without a single payer universal insurance. That is the humane "Christian" thing to do, but the Reuglys have no interest in any positive value of religion. It is just another tool for them to use to destroy progressives. This is why they call a proper insurance system "socialism". Typical destructive propaganda.

The Republican Destroyers are what happened to hope. Our hope now is to Re-elect Obama and give him a congress he can work with. We must also insist that he do better on Global Warming and totally stop supporting the madness of "clean Coal" and Fracking. We must build Fourth Generation Nuclear Reactors that are not only safe, but can use the stockpiles of Nuclear "Waste" as fuel. They convert this material to energy at an efficiency of 98%, solving the storage problem and giving us energy for a thousand years. That is a solution we have at hand. That is were our energy capitol must be invested.

You know what happened to the hope, the Rethugs and T baggers came along and pissed on the fire. That's what happened. A bunch of whinning fools were elected to Congress and threw a monkey wrench into the Progressive Left. That is the fact and don't deney history.

It appears that many RSN readers would rather sit around calling GOPers names than address what Democrats did with Vietnam, Glass-Steagall, the nearly DOA Stimulus half-measure, & the coddling, enabling, protecting of Too Big To Jail banks, like B of A. Progressives did those. Look up the vote tallies. Democrats are responsible. It doesn't help much to say, "Well, those bad bad GOPers & T-Party whackos would have done worse. WE did it, folks. So let's take responsibility & vow not to repeat our errors.

Vietnam was systemic, not the Democrats or the Republicans. Both parties had their role, but it started when Ho Chi Minh went to the US military Command in SE Asia just before the end of the war. The Japanese had pulled out of SE Asia, including Vietnam, and the French were preparing to move back in to re-establish colonial rule. Ho asked the US Authorities to help keep the French out of Vietnam. He was ignored, if not ridiculed, and the US went on to give massive military aid to the French, including weapons, aircraft and air support, transportation, and more supplies. When the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, they withdrew and signed the Geneva accords to hold elections that probably would have reunified Vietnam. The US cancelled the elections and took over from the French as a colonial power. This was a horrible mistake with no justification. In that sense it was a blunder similar to Iraq. Under Obama there are some signs that the US may be recovering from its Colonial urges. No such mistake was made in Libya, and Obama seems to be seeking a more sensible way to use US power. Iran is a nasty challenge, and we can only hope that AIPAC and other forces in the US and Israel do not push us into another mistake. Iran should realize that their best interests lie in negotiating in good faith, because they are truly playing with fire. They do not need to experience the sort of devastation visited on Iraq.

James 38...I can only assume that the '38' stands for the year you were born. Your knowledge of what happened in S.E. Asia is so right on. You are age-wise. Kuddos to you. While reading the comments on this article I kept on thinking about Ike and how he interfered in the national election in Vietnam after WW II. I guess it is a generational thing, and a failure of most respondents to this blog to take the time to know history, and learn from it.I thank you for your input and wisdom.

Thanks BeeDee, you are correct about the year. I hope you have read my other comments mentioning Fourth Generation Nuclear power. The greatest challenge we face is Climate Change. Unchecked, it is a threat to the survival of our so-called civilization. Globally, we must focus on that problem, and hopefully, if we do so, it will lead to positive developments of a cooperative society that respects the planet that is home to us all.

I am reminded often of a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. He was asked what he thought of Western Civilization. He paused, and answered "I think it would be a good idea".

Sorry for any offence, Todd. I just couldn't tell which comment yours referred to. Good about the history, we need to make major improvements in our education system and especially our national attitude toward it. There should be no way education could be underfunded. It is one of the basic national treasures.

Many Blue dogs and Center Democrats and even liberal Democrats voted against the interests of the people. They should go too. Even Patrick Leahy and Feinstein voted away our right to due process and now our right to peaceful assembly. Anyone can look up who voted on what on the important issues. Patrick Leahy just voted for the NDAA as did Feinstein.

My only hopes about this lie in two things. One is that we can elect a better Congress, and get the NDAA repealed. It may have been a result of election year pandering to patriotic panic, and a saner approach may become obvious after the election.

The other is that I would hope that any attempt at totalitarian repression in the US would run afoul of the actual patriotism of the majority of citizens, to the point that enough brain-dead storm troopers simply could not be assembled to carry it out. We have seen numerous examples such as Iraq vets joining "Occupy", and some police officers speaking out against abuses. I think a lot more police and military personnel are deeply concerned about the use to which their lives are being put, but the flash point has not been reached. Give them some support in thinking seriously about individual responsibility and care for their fellow man. That is the essence of the US democracy.

The answer as to who is going to fix it is YOU! As far as voting is concerned, as Paul Street writes, take two minutes to figure out whether to hold your nose and vote Democrat or vote your hopes and not your fears and vote for Jill Stein or Rocky Anderson or blow the whole thing off and refuse to vote because it's rigged. Then take to the streets and do the only thing that has any hope of making change if in fact the corporate coup is not complete. They haven't quite gotten to Social Security yet, but they're coming.

It is a shame on the American people, if they re-elect a person who has pursued wars of aggression and other war crimes. Some could have said that they did not believe he would continue the policies of GWB, when they voted for him in 2008. Now, they know, and if they vote to re-elect him then they will cast shame on our entire country. That a Republican is waiting eagerly to become a war criminal is true, but that is not in our hands. We don't have to vote for a Republican either. We are only responsible for whom we vote, not for whoever is elected.

What do you leave us, Innocent? Not voting for Obama is voting for whatever Repuglicant corporate zombie wins the "Marathon of Fools". Nor smart, since Obama, whatever his shortcomings, is an intelligent person, and can listen and change his opinions, since he is not beholden to the Greedy Old Pig-Bags type of lockstep zero care program.

Work to reelect Obama and give him a Congress he can work with, and we can get some positive things done. He may be able to replace one of the Supreme Idiots. What kind of horrid creep would one of these Rethugs nominate? Scary thought.

The choice we are facing is a Hobbesian choice (A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one option is offered. As a person may refuse to take that option, the choice is therefore between taking the option or not; "take it or leave it".)

We are so controlled, so brainwashed, so unable to deceifer truth from lies. We have a One Party Two Headed political system, but to listen to the vast majority of people, they think they are choosing between two different outcomes.

Both parties are controlled by the same money, same media. Any honest public servant that manages to rise to a position of political power is ignored, ridiculed,and misrepresented - and the majority of the people take it as the authoritative voice.

The control matrix is reaching the point of no return - wars, surveillance grid, militarization of the police, loss of the Bill of Rights, 30,000 drones in the sky's of America (already started),Patriot Act, NDAA, economic decline, debt, inflation, etc - mercy is not coming.

I will vote for President Obama of course, but I do worry about his safety. I agree with those above that racism is rampant now that a black man is in the White House. In 2008, many of these bigots stayed home, thinking there was no chance that Obama would be elected. Then their worst nightmare happened and they have turned into raving lunatics! The bad news is that they will be out in force in November and their votes might just make a difference.

I remember Obama's first year in office, when he said that it was okay with him if he didn't get reelected, and I think he really meant it. That's why he's so relaxed, he has come to terms with whatever happens. He also has a beautiful, loving wife, and two lovely children, and so leaving the White House won't be such a bad thing. I think that he will do his best to get four more years, but if he loses, he will still be a happy man. As a white person I am outraged that he and his family have been subjected to the extreme racism that the right-wingers are spewing out, it should be offensive to anyone who cares about equality. If these haters get back into power, they will finish the job that Bush began.

I agree with what you say except the part about a (please lets work hard to make sure it doesn't happen) R(ugh)lican Prez "finishing the job". That would mean the demise of the US, and I wouldn't expect that. The only possible benefit I could imagine from the horrid idea of a Republican President out of this crop of Corporate Flacks would be that the resulting mess would finally kill off the far right completely. But it would be ugly. Let's avoid it and re-elect Obama, huh?

Obama is Poised , Articulate, More intelligent than ALL the others, put together, Presidential, in fact.... But, ALSO: An ultimate Jive Cat, (that is, for those unfamiliar with the term, a 'Supreme Smoooth LIAR'; which means, we ultimately do not know him, or his 'Masters'), Murderer (of all our kids and thousands of innocent Iraqi/Afghani's since his term began (they don't call it ' Commander and Chief' for nothing!), Thief: Responsible for 'The Great Giveaway', (what a CHARADE! I have a degree in Economics; so I CAN have a VALID opinion!), Traitor of the United States Constitution, (deliberately Violate the Bill of Rights? I call you a Traitor! Maybe technically inaccurate. Big Deal!) I ask you, Who...are the 'Real' Terrorists?

Well, Mr. Marcus, you certainly prove one thing. Having a degree in Economics (if you actually have one) is obviously no indication of intelligence. Some sort of obscure, compulsive. persistence, maybe, but not intelligence. I mean really, do you think that those of us without degrees can not have a valid opinion? Can a person with a degree actually say something that silly?

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